Examination Marking

Mr. Goodman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many examiners in England and Wales were examining (a) A-level, (b) AS-level and (c) GCSE for the first time in 2001; what percentage the total of these figures is of the total number of examiners; and what the comparable (i) A-level and (ii) GCSE figures were for 1997. [33106]

Mr. Ivan Lewis:
Data on first time examiners recruited by the awarding bodies are not collated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority or the Department. Each awarding body keeps its own records.

Fair Trade Fortnight

Mr. Lazarowicz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to encourage participation by her Department in Fair Trade Fortnight from 4 to 17 March. [33550]

Mr. Ivan Lewis:
We welcome initiatives that aim to support sustainable development education. Various areas of the curriculum in England provide opportunities to study fair trade and other international development issues in all sectors of education. It is up to educational institutions to choose whether and how to take part in a particular initiative such as Fair Trade Fortnight. The Department for International Development is providing £120,000 to the Fairtrade Foundation over three years (200103) in support of its annual Fair Trade Fortnight campaigns.

Class Sizes (St. Helens)

Mr. Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) five, (b) six and (c) seven-year-olds in (i) St. Helens, South, (ii) St. Helens metropolitan borough authority and (iii) Merseyside were in class sizes of over 30 in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [33696]

John Healey:
The information requested is shown in the table.

Number of key stage 1 pupils in classes of 31 or more taught by one teacher in maintained primary schools(20)as at January each year

St. Helens, South

St. Helens local education authority

Merseyside Government office region

England

1997

1,080

2,463

15,859

476,822

1998

1,087

2,519

16,293

485,311

1999

990

2,271

11,746

356,586

2000

561

1,050

(21)

176,962

2001

32

32

(21)

35,813

(20) Includes middle schools as deemed

(21) Not applicable

Source:

Annual Schools Census

From January 2000 the Merseyside region was included within the north-west Government office region.

11 Feb 2002 : Column 98W

Individual Learning Accounts

Mr. Andrew Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to his answer of 31 January 2002, Official Report, column 483W, how many learning providers fall into each decile measured by the amount owed to them by her Department (a) on 23 November 2001 and (b) on 24 October 2001; and what was the upper and lower value of each decile. [33786]

John Healey [holding answer 5 February 2002]: The figures for amounts owed in the tables include payments due for eligible claims and amounts withheld from providers already suspended prior to the closure of the programme on 23 November. The figures for amounts owed in the table for 23 November also include amounts withheld pending validation checks on claims.

(a) Amounts owed to providers at 23 November 2001

Decile

Range start (£)

Range end (£)

Number of registered providers

1

1

100,826

2,323

2

100,826

201,651

23

3

201,651

302,477

9

4

302,477

403,303

6

5

403,303

504,129

0

6

504,129

604,954

2

7

604,954

705,780

0

8

705,780

806,606

1

9

806,606

907,431

0

10

907,431

1,008,257

1

Total

2,365

(b) Amounts owed to providers at 24 October 2001

Decile

Range start (£)

Range end (£)

Number of registered providers

1

1

34,660

1,238

2

34,660

69,320

33

3

69,320

103,980

8

4

103,980

138,640

0

5

138,640

173,300

3

6

173,300

207,960

0

7

207,960

242,620

1

8

242,620

277,280

0

9

277,280

311,940

1

10

311,940

346,600

1

Total

1,285

Mr. Andrew Turner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learning providers under the ILA scheme fall into each decile measured by the value of their work for the Department; and what was the upper and lower value of each decile. [33787]

John Healey [holding answer 5 February 2002]: The figures of registered learning providers listed in the table relate only to those providers who have at some stage made claims through the Individual Learning Account Centre system. The value of work covers the period from 1 September 2000 to 23 November 2001 and includes amounts withheld from providers already suspended prior to the programme closure on 23 November and amounts withheld pending validation checks on claims.

11 Feb 2002 : Column 99W

Decile

Range start (£)

Range end (£)

Number of registered providers

1

1

626,347

5,984

2

626,347

1,252,694

48

3

1,252,694

1,879,042

20

4

1,879,042

2,505,389

3

5

2,505,389

3,131,736

1

6

3,131,736

3,758,083

1

7

3,758,083

4,384,430

1

8

4,384,430

5,010,778

0

9

5,010,778

5,637,125

0

10

5,637,125

6,263,472

2

Total

6,060

Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the level of fraud discovered in individual learning accounts. [34012]

John Healey:
The Department's Special Investigations Unit is investigating 93 registered learning providers. Of these, police are investigating 13 and the Department's Special Investigation Unit is discussing a further 53 with the police.

44 arrests have been made in relation to allegations of fraud with the operation of the individual learning account programme, 12 have been charged one of whom has been convicted.

Lost/Stolen Property

Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list those items valued at less than £50 each which have been stolen or lost from her Department in each of the last four years. [34207]

Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The following table details the equipment stolen or lost from the Department for Education and Skills, valued less than £50 each.

Financial year 199899: Nil return

Financial year 19992000: Nil return

Financial year 200001: Nil return.

Financial year 200102

Description

Telephone charger

Dictaphone

Number of items

1

1

Approximate value per item (£)

25

40

Total approximate value (£)

25

40

Note:

The total number of items stolen amounts to £65 for the last four years.

English Baccalaureate

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans her Department has to introduce an English Baccalaureate; and if she will make a statement. [34565]

Mr. Timms:
The White Paper, "Schools: achieving success" explains that we want to begin a debate about how to develop a coherent 1419 education phase. As part of such a phase, the White Paper puts forward the proposal for an overarching award that would recognise

11 Feb 2002 : Column 100W

achievement in both academic and vocational subjects. A forthcoming 1419 consultation paper will consider the proposal for such an award in more detail.

AS Levels

Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many representations have been made to the Hargreaves inquiry on the first year of AS levels. [34662]

Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority received 150 representations about AS levels while compiling its report into Curriculum 2000.

Standard Spending Assessment (LEAs)

Mrs. Dean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will rank each local education authority by (a) the average salary per teacher and (b) the funding per pupil allocated through the standard spending assessment for the latest year for which figures are available. [34798]

Mr. Timms:
The rankings of each LEA with regard to average teacher salary at 31 March 2000 and primary and secondary SSA per pupil in 200203 are as follows. A ranking of 1 denotes highest average salary and highest funding per pupil.

Lea number

LEA name

Average salary rank

SSA pp rank

201

City of London

31

13

202

Camden

3

8

203

Greenwich

10

12

204

Hackney

2

4

205

Hammersmith and Fulham

8

7

206

Islington

11

5

207

Kensington and Chelsea

1

6

208

Lambeth

6

3

209

Lewisham

7

10

210

Southwark

4

9

211

Tower Hamlets

5

2

212

Wandsworth

15

16

213

Westminster

13

11

301

Barking and Dagenham

17

22

302

Barnet

25

30

303

Bexley

33

40

304

Brent

9

17

305

Bromley

21

47

306

Croydon

24

25

307

Ealing

19

19

308

Enfield

23

23

309

Haringey

12

15

310

Harrow

22

31

311

Havering

20

45

312

Hillingdon

32

32

313

Hounslow

26

21

314

Kingston upon Thames

27

46

315

Merton

14

28

316

Newham

16

14

317

Redbridge

28

29

318

Richmond upon Thames

29

63

319

Sutton

30

41

320

Waltham Forest

18

18

330

Birmingham

65

33

331

Coventry

40

70

332

Dudley

110

133

333

Sandwell

113

57

334

Solihull

129

144

335

Walsall

70

92

336

Wolverhampton

53

55

340

Knowsley

137

26

341

Liverpool

45

27

342

St. Helens

42

95

343

Sefton

72

101

344

Wirral

36

69

350

Bolton

127

103

351

Bury

80

123

352

Manchester(22)

150

24

353

Oldham

106

76

354

Rochdale

102

67

355

Salford

149

61

356

Stockport

81

143

357

Tameside

130

104

358

Trafford

71

119

359

Wigan

62

129

370

Barnsley(22)

140

100

371

Doncaster

82

77

372

Rotherham

67

112

373

Sheffield(22)

96

86

380

Bradford

69

51

381

Calderdale

99

93

382

Kirklees

79

89

383

Leeds

58

98

384

Wakefield

139

120

390

Gateshead

142

85

391

Newcastle upon Tyne

118

43

392

North Tyneside

89

115

393

South Tyneside

55

59

394

Sunderland

104

78

420

Isles of Scilly

39

1

800

Bath and North East Somerset

78

148

801

Bristol, City of

105

80

802

North Somerset

95

138

803

South Gloucestershire

117

150

805

Hartlepool

141

74

806

Middlesbrough

107

37

807

Redcar and Cleveland

144

71

808

Stockton-on-Tees

132

90

810

Kingston Upon Hull, City of

94

48

811

East Riding of Yorkshire

92

130

812

North East Lincolnshire

116

75

813

North Lincolnshire

85

94

815

North Yorkshire

60

118

816

York

112

137

820

Bedfordshire

83

82

821

Luton

35

34

825

Buckinghamshire

73

83

826

Milton Keynes

100

58

830

Derbyshire

57

134

831

Derby

68

79

835

Dorset

108

131

836

Poole

101

145

837

Bournemouth

97

110

840

Durham

135

91

841

Darlington

133

106

845

East Sussex

122

62

846

Brighton and Hove

90

44

850

Hampshire

120

113

851

Portsmouth

119

52

852

Southampton

147

39

855

Leicestershire(22)

103

149

856

Leicester

84

38

857

Rutland

37

147

860

Staffordshire

98

142

861

Stoke-on-Trent

121

81

865

Wiltshire

77

128

866

Swindon

148

136

867

Bracknell Forest

51

72

868

Windsor and Maidenhead

34

60

869

West Berkshire

111

107

870

Reading

134

49

871

Slough

66

20

872

Wokingham

54

139

873

Cambridgeshire

128

127

874

Peterborough

136

64

875

Cheshire

114

141

876

Halton

124

54

877

Warrington

143

146

878

Devon

75

117

879

Plymouth

59

97

880

Torbay

123

105

881

Essex

46

65

882

Southend-on-Sea

44

53

883

Thurrock

48

36

884

Herefordshire

91

111

885

Worcestershire

87

140

886

Kent

56

66

887

Medway

43

73

888

Lancashire

74

109

889

Blackburn with Darwen

76

50

890

Blackpool

145

88

891

Nottinghamshire

38

126

892

Nottingham

125

35

893

Shropshire

49

121

894

Telford and Wrekin

52

96

908

Cornwall

50

99

909

Cumbria

63

114

916

Gloucestershire

126

132

919

Hertfordshire

64

56

921

Isle of Wight

138

42

925

Lincolnshire

88

108

926

Norfolk

61

102

928

Northamptonshire

131

124

929

Northumberland

47

116

931

Oxfordshire

109

84

933

Somerset

41

122

935

Suffolk

86

125

936

Surrey

146

68

937

Warwickshire

115

135

938

West Sussex

93

87

(22) These LEAs have returned data for less than 20 per cent. of their teachers. To estimate average salaries in these authorities, figures from March 1999 were grossed up by 3.9 per cent.